Serena's 700th win sets up Halep semi

MIAMI (Reuters) - World number one Serena Williams overcame a dreadful second set to beat Germany's Sabine Lisicki 7-6(4) 1-6 6-3 on Wednesday for her 700th career win and a berth in the Miami Open semi-finals.

Williams will face Romania's Simona Halep for a place in the final after the third-seed beat Sloane Stephens 6-1 7-5.

The pair were due to meet in the semi-finals at Indian Wells earlier this month but Williams pulled out with a knee injury and Halep went on to beat Jelena Jankovic in the final.

The duo are the two form players in women's tennis at the moment - Williams is on a 19-match winning streak while Halep has a 24-2 record this season.

Williams, who is seeking an eighth Miami title, made a sluggish start but went on to secure the first set in a tie-break and then broke her 27th-seeded opponent in the opening game of the second set before falling apart.

Lisicki's precise and intelligent play took advantage of a series of unforced errors from Williams as the German won six consecutive games to force a decisive set.

But Williams, the two-times defending Miami champion, quickly rediscovered her form and broke to get a 3-0 lead and held firm for the win.

Williams is the eighth player in WTA history to record 700 match wins, putting her in an exclusive club that is led by Martina Navratilova (1,442).
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